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Alcaraz's double leads Team Europe to Laver Cup

September 23, 2024 09:16 IST

Carlos Alcaraz

IMAGE: Team Europe's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after winning the Laver Cup. Photograph: Annegret Hilse/Reuters

Carlos Alcaraz couldn't be beaten on Sunday, winning two matches to lift Team Europe to a 13-11 victory over Team World for the Laver Cup title in Berlin.

The Spaniard, ranked No. 3 in the world, defeated No. 7 Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 in the final match of the three-day event to secure the trophy for Team Europe for the first time since 2021.

Alcaraz earlier partnered with Casper Ruud of Norway to win a doubles match against Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 7-6 (6).

Team Europe's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with teammates after winning his singles match against Team World's Taylor Fritz

IMAGE: Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with teammates after winning his singles match against Team World's Taylor Fritz to win the Laver Cup for Team Europe. Photograph: Annegret Hilse/Reuters

Team World's Shelton won a battle with Russia's Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (6), 7-5, 10-7, while Germany's Alexander Zverev kept Team Europe's hopes alive with a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 10-5 comeback victory over Tiafoe.

Bjorn Borg, serving the last of his seven-year stint as Team Europe captain, won for the fifth time. Team Europe had five of the top 10 players in the world rankings. John McEnroe was Team World captain for the seventh and final time.

Hangzhou Open

Marin Cilic

IMAGE: Marin Cilic advanced to his 67th career semi-final after saving eight of nine break points. Photograph: Jon Nazca/Reuters

Marin Cilic continued his comeback from injury, fighting off two match points to defeat Yasutaka Uchiyama of Japan 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) to reach the semi-finals in China.

Cilic, 35, advanced to his 67th career semi-final after saving eight of nine break points, as well, as he seeks his 21st ATP Tour title.

The Croatian will take on fourth-seeded Brandon Nakashima in the semi-finals after the American defeated Rinky Hijikata of Australia 7-5, 6-3.

An all-Chinese match -- the first in an ATP Tour semi-final in the Open Era -- also awaits. Sixth-seeded Zhizhen Zhang topped Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-3, and he will square off against wild card Yunchaokete Bu, a wild card who defeated Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-2.

Chengdu Open

Juncheng Shang

IMAGE: China's Juncheng Shang, 19, is seeking his first tour title. Photograph: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Chinese teenager Juncheng Shang upset second-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 6-4, 7-6 (8) to move to the semi-finals of his home-country tournament.

 

The 19-year-old is seeking his first tour title and will need to defeat Yannick Hanfmann of Germany in Monday's semifinal to have a chance. Hanfmann topped Pedro Martinez of Spain 7-6 (1), 6-2 in the quarters.

Top seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy knocked out Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 to set up a semi-final match with Alibek Kachmazov. The Russian upset Nicolas Jarry of Chile, the third seed, 6-3, 6-4 to move on.

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